From Joe Effiong, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has said he will not be distracted from foundation laid for him by his predecessor, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
In his reaction to comments which trailed his recent published interview where he was quoted to have said the multi-billion naira Akwa Ibom State Specialist Hospital was not well equipped, Emmanuel, in a statement, by his Chief Press Secretary, Ekerete Udo, said attempts by people imputing political intrigues in every of his activities to cause division between him and Akpabio, would fail.
“We recognise that the political season is upon us, and desperate individuals will, as a result, attempt to cause division and create imaginary issues.
“Governor Emmanuel, however, is determined to continue the erection of a skyscraper for the good people of Akwa Ibom State from the solid foundation and structure that his mentor and former governor, Akpabio, had erected.
“Every attempt by certain individuals or politically sponsored groups to derail the governor from that vision will amount to a waste of their time and resources.
“The governor did not, within the context and tenor of the statement categorically say Ibom Specialist Hospital was not fully equipped, as such the statement was taken out of an excerpt of an interview he granted a cross-section of the newsmen, recently in Lagos.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this is exactly what the governor had said when the reporter asked him why some prominent Nigerians still do not deem it fit to patronise the hospital; It is one thing to have the facilities; it is another thing for the facilities to get to where they produce optimum results. So, where we are today, we have gone somewhere. But, I can say that we have not fully equipped it to the level of the vision we have that is why we called on the minister (of Health) that we need to partner the Federal Government.
“What the governor meant with the above excerpt was that Ibom Specialist Hospital is on solid ground and that we have made tremendous progress with the facilities the hospital has, but that more facilities are needed to take it to the vision that led to its establishment by the state gGovernment.”
The statement described as “the height of mischief,” for someone to misconstrue the statement and give it a narrow and politically expedient narrative that suits their notion.
He explained that all over the world, medical science is an evolving enterprise with new technologies and updates; “hospitals as a result, are equipping and re-equipping to keep up with the pace of new technologies, and if the governor said though the facilities we have currently are great, but we need to equip the hospital with additional facilities to meet the vision, it is very sad for people to try to play politics with such…”
